


Untying the Knot: One Year Later (Part 3)

by sarahifox



Series: Untying the Knot [3]
Category: Cars (Movies)
Genre: Comfort, Depression, F/M, Healing, Hurt, Love, cruz is going through a lot, my healing process, relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-19
Updated: 2017-11-19
Packaged: 2019-02-04 06:48:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12765411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarahifox/pseuds/sarahifox
Summary: After 4 years of marriage, Jackson and Cruz are hitting a rough patch in their relationship. When Cruz begins to endure physical abuse, she wonders who she can turn to in this desperate time. Will she be able to weather the storm and make it out alive or will this situation weigh her down in a pit of emotional despair? (Humanized, lifetime style drama with Cars characters).





	Untying the Knot: One Year Later (Part 3)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is part 3 of the Untying the Knot series (to get caught up, I suggest you read the original story and part 2 of that) and I want to thank you all again for your support. I just want to briefly say that writing this story has been very therapeutic for me. Here, I am able to process my own emotions and personal struggles through Cruz. I must warn you that she will not be her normal, bubbly self. In this story (which takes a more somber approach), Cruz is still processing through her emotions and is trying to navigate her own healing process. Once again, the italics are the thoughts of Cruz and the bold indicates flashbacks. I hope you guys enjoy it!

It was a tranquil morning in Radiator Springs. The sun was slowly rising in the amber, desert sky while the townies were making their way over to Flo's V8 Cafe. Lightning and Sally were in their room, cuddling with each other in the bed. Sally placed her head on Lightning's chest while Lightning laid on his back, wrapping his arms around her in a warm hug. He smiled as he looked down at his gorgeous wife. He kissed her forehead and rubbed her back with his left hand. Sally swooned as she felt his tender touch. She looked up to see Lightning gazing at her in awe.

"What?" she said as she stared at her husband.

"Oh nothing. I'm just thinking about how lucky I am to have you in my life," he said as he kissed her on the cheek.

"That's right! Don't you forget it!" Sally said with a smile as she smacked his chest with the back of her hand.

"I don't ever want to let you go," Lightning said as he hugged her tighter.

"Well, you're going to have to. I have a lot of work to do," she said as she sat up in the bed.

Lightning groaned as he pulled the covers off and sat on his side of the bed. Sally also got out of the bed and put her robe on over her silk night gown. She looked over at her husband, who was sitting on the edge of the bed and staring at the wall in a daze.

"You okay?" she asked as she finished tying her robe.

Lightning got up from the bed and leaned his body against the wall. "You know, I'm worried about Cruz," he said, looking away from Sally.

"Me too," she said as she went over to Lightning and gave him a hug.

"She's been so distant lately. She stays in her room most of the time so I barely see her around anymore. She's not even eating," Lightning said as he shook his head.

"Yeah that's what I'm worried about too. That's not healthy. We need to let her know that," Sally said as she made her way to the kitchen with Lightning following behind.

Sally went over the stove and started to make some oatmeal. When she turned around to get some cinnamon from the cupboard, Lightning was right behind her. He grabbed her waist and started to kiss her on the lips. They both kissed each other passionately as Lightning lifted Sally into his arms and onto the counter. Sally held Lightning's face with her hands as he started to kiss her neck. She closed her eyes, enjoying the affection. Cruz slowly made her way to the kitchen. Her head was throbbing as she stood in the doorway to catch herself. Her eyes flew open as she saw Lightning and Sally.

_Look at these two! Get a room guys!_ Although she was a little disgusted, Cruz couldn't help but marvel at how much those two loved each other. Seeing them made her think about her and Jackson.

**Jackson and Cruz were holding hands as they walked along the Hawaiian beach. Jackson stopped walking and held Cruz's waist. The warm summer breeze brushed over them as they both looked out to the ocean view. Jackson brought her close to him as they looked away from the shoreline and stared at each other.**

"I love you baby," Jackson said as he leaned in for a kiss.

"I love you too," Cruz said as she returned the affection.

**The blissful couple locked lips in the summer sun. Jackson held her tight, while Cruz closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth of their love.**

Just the thought of their past marriage made her head hurt more. She closed her eyes as her head started to pound.

After a few minutes, Sally opened her eyes and saw Cruz standing in the doorway.

"Oh!" Sally screamed as she rapidly tapped Lightning's back.

"What?" Lightning said as he stopped kissing her neck and turned around to see Cruz. "Cruz! Sorry you had to see that," he said with a nervous laugh.

"Don't mind me. I'm just going to get some tea," Cruz said as she made her way to the cupboard.

"I'm making oatmeal. You can have some if you want," Sally said as she came down from the counter.

"No thanks. I'm good," Cruz said as she put the kettle on the stove.

"How are you feeling?" Lightning asked as he poured some cereal into a bowl.

"I'm okay. My head hurts but I'll be fine. I actually have something to tell you guys," Cruz said as she sat at the dining table.

Both Lightning and Sally gave Cruz their undivided attention. The room went silent as they stopped what they were doing and stared at her.

"I want to thank you both for everything that you've done for me over this past year. I want you guys to know that I'll be moving out soon," Cruz said with a crooked smile.

"What?!" Sally and Lightning said simultaneously.

Lightning started asking multiple questions in quick succession. "Where are you going to go? Do you have a place to stay? When are you leaving? Why are you leaving? Do you-"

"Stickers! I'm sure all our questions will be answered if we give her a chance to talk," Sally said, interrupting Lightning's interrogation session. "Go ahead sweetie."

Based on Lightning's reaction, Cruz's heart began to race. She knew he would act that way. She swallowed the lump in her throat, took a deep breath, and started to explain.

"Well, I plan on moving back with my family in Texas. We have a lot of history and some unresolved issues, but I'm sure they will understand once I explain the situation to them," Cruz said as she nervously rubbed her arms.

"Wait a minute, they don't know about this?" Lightning asked as his eyes widened.

Cruz bit her lip. "I never got around to telling them. I was too afraid."

"Cruz, no one is kicking you out of here. I told you that you can stay here as long as you need to," Lightning said in a soft tone.

"I just don't want you guys to sacrifice your happiness and your lives on account of helping me with my issues," Cruz said as the kettle hissed. "My tea is ready," she said as she got up to make her tea.

Lightning and Sally just stared at each other. They couldn't believe what they were hearing.

"Hun, we're not sacrificing our happiness. We chose to help you. Yes we sacrificed our time to do so, but we didn't mind at all," Sally said as she sat down at the table in front of Cruz while Lightning remained standing in the corner of the room.

"That's the problem. That choice almost cost you guys your jobs!"

"Cruz-"

"It's true Mr. McQueen! You took multiple semesters off from your racing school just to help me make sure that the situation stayed private. Mrs. Sally, you could've been working on other cases but you took up my case instead."

"Hun, again, we chose to do this. I am Lightning's attorney. I work for him and he allowed me to represent you in that case. Look, I don't want you to take this the wrong way but we are very concerned about how you're handling all of this. I know its not up to me, but honestly, I think you should stay until you finally get yourself together. If your family doesn't know about this,explaining the situation to them would only open up old wounds."

"Cruz, we care about you. Heck, we love you and we want to make sure that you're okay."

"I'm fine Mr. McQueen."

"Are you?" he asked as Cruz slumped into her seat.

She wasn't fine. She was still hurt. She just didn't want to admit it. The denial was comforting to her.

"I just didn't want you guys to worry."

"Honey, we're not worried. We're concerned," Sally said.

"You know "concerned" is just a fancy way of saying worried right?" Cruz said with a huff.

"Cruz, you haven't eaten in weeks. You lock yourself in your room all the time and you barely say anything about how you feel. I'm sorry but this isn't a healthy way to process this," Lightning said as he stared at her.

Cruz could see the worry in Lightning's blue eyes. It pained her to see both him and Sally look at her as if she was about to die. She lost a lot of weight due to her starvation. She couldn't stand this.

"I'm sorry guys, but that's the way things have to be. I plan to move out by tomorrow evening," Cruz said as she left the kitchen.

Sally and Lightning just stared at each other in silence. They didn't know how to help her at this point.

* * *

The next day, Cruz was sitting on the couch in the Cozy Cone Motel lobby, flipping through the channels on the television. She was swallowed in a hooded sweatsuit. Her clothes were literally falling off of her body. The room was dark due to her shutting all the blinds and turning off all the lights. Sally was in her office while Lightning was still out for a drive. The TV screen provided the only source of light in the area. Soon, she heard footsteps in the hallway. They were getting louder as the person entered into the lobby. Cruz's eyes were glued to the TV screen. She didn't notice or care that there was someone in the room with her.

"Why is it so dark in here?" the voice said, as the person passed in front of the TV screen and went over to the windows.

Cruz screamed as the light from the windows darted into the room. The person screamed as they turned around. Cruz attempted to shield her eyes from the brightness when she saw Lightning near the windows holding two containers of ice cream (he was literally speeding to get it home before they melted).

"Mr. McQueen?" Cruz asked as she blinked to clear her vision.

"Cruz? What are you doing in here? Aren't you supposed to be packing? You're leaving this evening right?" Lightning said as he sat next to her on the couch.

"Um, I changed my mind about moving," Cruz said as she pulled the hood over her head.

"Oh, well that's good to hear," he said with a smile.

"Yeah I guess so," Cruz said as she slumped in her seat.

"Well, I was thinking about you and I wanted to get you something before you left. Here you go," Lightning said as he handed Cruz a container full of dulce de leche ice cream.

Cruz stared at the container. "Where did you get this?"

Lightning was confused. You'd think that Cruz would be jumping for joy having her favorite ice cream in her hands (after all, he almost got a speeding ticket on the way home) instead she just sat there in silence staring at the container in a daze.

"Um, I was driving around and stopped at an ice cream shop nearby," Lightning said, staring at Cruz with a bewildered look on his face. "Isn't that your favorite?" he asked, hoping she would just take the lid off and eat the ice cream.

Cruz was in a trance. She continued to stare at the container as if it wasn't in her hand. Her body was sitting on the couch, but her mind and soul were lost in another dimension.

"What? You don't want it?" Lightning asked as he tried to take the ice cream away from her.

Cruz was pulled back into reality when she felt Lightning's hand brush against her forearm.

"Huh? Oh no, it's fine Mr. McQueen. I appreciate the thought but I'm not in an ice cream mood right now," Cruz said as she gave the container back to Lightning.

Lightning just stared at Cruz. Something was very off about her. She was like a zombie. He saw how the sleeves of her hoodie were longer than her own arms. He saw the dead look in her eyes and the paleness in her skin. He also saw the faded bruises on her face and hands. He knew that this situation was ripping her up inside. It was eating away at her body; he could only imagine what it was doing to her soul.

"Alright then, it's in the freezer if you need it," Lightning said as he got up from the couch.

Cruz just sighed and continued to flip through the channels. When Lightning came back, he sat down on the couch and started to eat his ice cream. Cruz didn't even look in his direction.

"You know what? There's nothing good on TV anyway. Here, put it on something that you want to watch," she said as she handed the remote to Lightning and got up to leave.

"Wait!" Lightning said as he set his ice cream on the table in front of him. "Come and sit. I want to talk to you," he said as she patted the cushion that Cruz was sitting on.

"Mr. McQueen, I'd rather not-"

"Just sit down please," Lightning said in a stern tone.

Cruz dropped herself on the couch and gave him a glare.

"Good. Now take the hood off," he said as Cruz rolled her eyes. "I just want to see your beautiful face," he said with a crooked smile.

"You mean my ugly banged up face?!" Cruz yelled as she ripped the hood off of her head.

Lightning winced. "I don't think it's any of those things," he said as Cruz rolled her eyes again.

"I don't know what you're looking at but all I see is pain when I look at this face," she said as she slumped in the couch.

"You know, I don't like this," Lightning said with a frown.

Cruz finally turned to Lightning and looked him in the eye. "You don't like what?"

"I don't like what you're doing Cruz. You don't eat anymore, you isolate yourself, and now you're trying to put up a wall between us. What's going on?"

Cruz could see the worry in his eyes. Seeing Lightning worried made her heart hurt even more.

_I did not want this. The last thing I wanted was to hurt him in this way. This infection is spreading and I don't have a cure._

"I'm sorry Mr. McQueen. I didn't want to drag you into this mess more than I already have," she said as her lips quivered.

She could feel the burning in her nose as the tears started to form.

"What are you talking about?"

"Mr. McQueen, I'm just not in a talking mood right now," Cruz said as she wiped her tears.

"Cruz believe me, I've been where you are."

"How can you say that? You've never had an abusive husband!" Cruz said as more tears trickled down her face.

"No, but I've had a traumatic experience happen in my life before. After my crash, I was just as depressed as you are right now. I did all of the same things you're doing. I didn't eat, I locked myself in Doc's garage for four months, and I didn't want contact with anyone. I know what it's like to carry around that heaviness within yourself. You can talk to me Cruz. I think it would help if you just talk about it."

"Talk about what Mr. McQueen?! The fact that it's been a year and I'm still not over me and Jackson? Or the fact that he was able to move on and I'm stuck reliving the past everyday? Or the fact that you and Mrs. Sally have the kind of relationship that I thought Jackson and I would have? Or-"

"Wait a minute. Does our relationship bother you?" Lightning asked, feeling guilty about contributing to Cruz's pain.

"No Mr. McQueen. Don't get me wrong, I love you and Mrs. Sally. I admire the love that you have for each other and it just makes me wish that I had that same kind of love with Jackson. Seeing you guys just reminds me of how much of a failure my marriage was. When I see you two, I see genuine love. That's the love that I crave but can't have," Cruz said as she buried her face in her hands.

"Is that why you wanted to leave?" Lightning asked in a soft tone.

"Yes. I didn't want you guys to stop loving each other on my account, so I just thought I should leave. I thought I was ruining your marriage," Cruz said as she looked away from Lightning.

"Cruz you are not ruining our marriage. You're just going through a rough time in your life and you just need to give yourself some time to heal," Lightning said as he started to rub Cruz's back.

Cruz moved over, rejecting his embrace. She felt like she didn't deserve his kindness.

"I'm never getting married again," she said as she put the hood back over her head.

"Don't say that."

"No it's true! Back where I'm from, marriage is a one shot deal. If you get divorced, you can't re-marry unless your ex-spouse is dead. It was my one shot and I blew it once again!" Cruz said as she banged her fist on the table.

"Cruz, you shouldn't close your heart off to the possibility. Things could change."

"Yeah, sure they can," she said as she got up. "I'm going to go run some laps around the Butte. I have a race in a few days," she said as she turned to leave.

"You mind if I come with you?"

"No that's okay. I think I need some time to clear my mind."

"Cruz, please don't try and isolate yourself from the people that care about you. Take it from me, it doesn't help."

"I understand that Mr. McQueen, but talking about this stupid situation just makes everything  _worse,"_ she said, blinking back some tears.

"That's not true. I'm here if you ever want to talk."

"Thanks anyway but I don't think I ever want to talk about this again. Enjoy your ice cream," she said as she left the room.

Lightning sighed, wondering how his bright and bubbly girl turned into this person. She evolved into a hollow being that he didn't recognize. It hurt him deeply to see that she wanted nothing to do with him. Of course he knew that he couldn't take it too personally (after all, this is just a phase in the depressive state) but he couldn't stand the barriers that Cruz put between them. If he could take all her pain away he would do it in a heartbeat. Some things in life just aren't that simple.

* * *

A few days later, Cruz took home the gold at the end of another successful race. Although she was dealing with some emotional turmoil behind the scenes, she still kept smiling to keep up appearances for the cameras. After she accepted her trophy and performed for the press, she was ready to head to Mack so she could go home.

"Ms. Ramirez! I need to see you in my office right now," a voice called out to Cruz as she was heading back to the trailer.

Cruz sighed as she turned around to see who was calling her. She turned to see Natalie standing in the parking lot with her arms waving in the air.

"I can see you Natalie," Cruz said as she made her way over to Natalie.

"Great. I was hoping to catch you before you left."

"What do you want? You need me to help you pick out flowers for your wedding?" Cruz said as she rolled her eyes.

"Why don't we talk about this in my office. It's more private there," Natalie said as she saw the crowds of people passing by.

"I'd rather not," Cruz said as she turned to leave.

Natalie grabbed Cruz's arm. "Please Cruz, it's important."

Cruz sighed as she followed Natalie into her office. Cruz slammed the door behind her while she remained standing in the corner.

"Have a seat," Natalie said as she sat behind her desk.

"I'd rather stand," Cruz said as she rolled her eyes. "Jackson hates orchids by the way. You're welcome," she said as she folded her arms.

"Forget the flowers. The wedding is off," Natalie said she she shuffled some papers on her desk.

"What did you just say?" Cruz said as she finally sat down in front of Natalie.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I called off the engagement."

"What? Why? And what does that have to do with me?"

Natalie started tearing up. "You were right about him Cruz. He did this to me a few weeks ago," she said as she took off her suit jacket to reveal the large bruise on her upper arm.

Cruz was stunned. After all these years, she thought that she was the only one that Jackson loved to abuse. She always thought that she was too weak to defend herself and that the same thing would never happen to Natalie. Part of her wanted to scream for joy, knowing that she was right all along, but another part of her was truly sorry for Natalie.

"Natalie I- I had no idea. I'm so sorry."

"It's alright. Now that we know that the domestic violence allegations are true, we can finally expose him to make sure that he never does this to anyone else."

Cruz's eyes widened. "Expose him?" she said as she shifted around in her seat.

"Yes Cruz! Do you want him to get away with this?"

"Look Natalie, I'm just as upset as you are but I think we should handle this privately."

"Why? He's not going to hurt you if this gets out to the public."

"Yeah but how would you look in the eyes of the press after they saw you hook up with another woman's abusive husband? If you come out with this story, what makes you think that the media will be on your side?"

"Are you kidding me Cruz? It sounds like you want to protect Jackson!"

"I'm not protecting him! Think about it Natalie, when I showed you my bruises, you didn't want to listen to me. If I tried to warn you and you didn't listen, why would the world be on your side? They'll only blame you for being with him after our divorce."

"I can't believe you Cruz. I thought that you were smarter than this," Natalie said as she took a sip of her water.

"Don't judge me Natalie. You have no idea about the lengths that I went through to make sure that he went to jail. You don't know about it because I decided not to handle it in public. Sometimes bringing things to the media makes everything worse."

Natalie couldn't believe what she was hearing. She knew that the press could be nasty and had the ability to blow things out of proportion, but something about Cruz seemed off. Natalie could see it in her eyes.

"You're still in love with him aren't you," Natalie said as she stared at Cruz.

The tears were rushing through her eyelids. Cruz slammed both hands on the desk and got up to leave. Natalie rushed over to the door, blocking Cruz from leaving.

"Uh, uh, uh! You are not getting away that easily."

"Get out of my way Natalie!"

"Just answer the question Cruz. Do you still love Jackson?"

Cruz felt like she was about to have a heart attack. She  _hated_ what Jackson did to her. She hated that she wasn't assertive enough to protect herself. She hated living in fear for two years of her marriage. She hated keeping the abuse a secret from her loved ones. She hated all those days where she felt so close to death. She hated seeing her bruises in the mirror every morning. She hated this depressive state that she was in. She hated to see that Lightning and Sally were so worried about her well being. Even now, their worried expressions flashed in her mind. She hated the excruciating physical, emotional, and psychological pain that Jackson caused her. Her whole world was shattered. Her entire persona was fading out of existence. Her relationships were crumbling before her eyes. All of this suffering happened because of him. To add insult to injury, he moved on with someone else and didn't even care about her feelings. As far as she's concerned,  _Cruz_ _hated Jackson Storm._

Cruz broke down in front of Natalie. She bawled like there was no tomorrow. "I don't love him! I just loved what we had together!" she said as she choked through the sobs. "I loved the deep connection that I thought we had. I loved the long walks on the beach. I loved the cuddles on cold nights. I loved the fantasy that we built together. Never in a million years would I dream of missing Jackson. I just miss the love that we shared in the beginning."

Natalie gave Cruz a quick hug. "I get that. Cruz what you experienced wasn't love. You deserve better than that. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about this. I also won't talk to the press about this situation. I think you need your privacy," Natalie said with a smile.

"Thank you," Cruz said as she wiped her tears and left the office.

Although she and Natalie were two very different people, they still shared a dynamic connection.

_TO BE CONTINUED..._


End file.
